In a vehicle, a steering column is typically attached to a cross-car structural beam, either directly or by a steering column support structure. The steering column support structure must support the load of the steering column and other loads associated with vehicle usage and effectively distribute the loads to the cross-car structural beam for distribution to the side walls of the vehicle.
In addition to compensating for the various loads of the steering column, the steering column support structure and the structural beam must account for vibration and the undesirable effects thereof. Typically, additional mass and materials are required to be added to the structural support and structural beam in order to control the occurrence of vibration. However, this results in undesirable weight being added to the vehicle. Additionally, the vibration is transferred to the steering column causing undesirable noise or is transmitted to a driver's hands.
It would be desirable to produce a vibration dampener which militates against vibration and noise in an automobile while minimizing the weight added to a vehicle to control the vibration and the noise.